For the Golcar captain has become only the second player (along with Brandon Nash) ever to win both the Premiership’s Batting and Bowling prize in the same season.

And that’s going to make it pretty difficult for Drakes League officials to choose anyone else but Whitwam for the Jack Gledhill Trophy awarded to the League top all-rounder, and a trophy he has already won five years running from 2005-09.

His remarkable sequence was broken only last year by Shepley’s SP Singh, but it would be a huge surprise if Whitwam is not celebrating a rare ‘trophy treble’ come the annual dinner.

Known universally as ‘Cobber’ (due to his formative years down under) Whitwam has been ‘Mr Golcar’ since returning from a short spell at Scholes, and as well as spearheading their drive to the Sykes Cup in 2009 – the Swallow Lane club’s only ever success in the Cup knockout – under the captaincy of Ashley Pamment (who, coincidentally is also among this year’s list of prizewinners).

Whitwam had an aggregate of 1,135 runs and an average of 75.66.

And to underline just what a terrific cricketer he is, ‘Cobber’ also scooped up the bowling prize with 50 wickets at an average of 16.44.

South African all-rounder Nash achieved the treble in 2002.

Double Cup winners Shepley have a representative among the top-flight winners, with Tim Rees – for the second year in succession – pouching the fielding prize with 19 catches and Skelmanthorpe’s Josh Clarkson proving to be the top stumper with 30 catches and six stumpings for a winning tally of 36.

Another skipper in the trophies was Mark Firth, who helped his side Clayton West win the Frank Platt Championship and promotion to the top flight after winning the batting prize with an average of 60.30, while Javed Iqbal junior’s 62-wicket haul (ave 12.24) was instrumental in keeping Holmfirth in the division after they were docked 24 points for playing an unregistered player.

The Conference prizes reflected the success of the top two teams, with runaway champions Armitage Bridge supplying the bowling winner in Carl Jump (46 wickets, ave 11.91) and the top fielder in Andy Gledhill (16 catches), while runners-up Thongsbridge had prize-winning batsman Ben Raven-Hill (814, 47.88) and stumper Tom Kemp with 30 victims (22 catches, 8 stumpings) to thank for their promotion-winning season behind the champions.